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Keywords

African Americans; Alcoholism; Breast—Radiography; Colonoscopy; Crime; Criminal statistics; Diabetes; Diabetes—Prevention; Drinking of alcoholic beverages; Exercise; Genetic code; Health; Health services accessibility; Health status indicators; Health status indicators—Research; Influenza—Vaccination; Influenza vaccines; Medically uninsured persons; Mortality; Older people--Health and hygiene; Offenses against property; Pneumonia; Pneumonia—Prevention; Primary care (Medicine); Primary health care; Smoking; Smoking--Health aspects; Violent crimes; Zip codes

Disciplines

Community-Based Research | Demography, Population, and Ecology | Inequality and Stratification | Medicine and Health | Public Health | Race and Ethnicity

Abstract

In a publication from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation, it was recognized that a person’s zip code was a more important predictor of health than their genetic code. Where we live influences not only our access to health care, but other health indicators as well. Clark County has a low primary care physician to population ratio compared to other counties in Nevada and in the US. Clark County also has highest rates of uninsured in the Mountain West and among the highest in the nation.

Southern Nevada fared worse than other Mountain West Metropolitan areas in health indicators and preventative care. Compared to other Mountain West Metropolitan areas of Albuquerque, NM; Boise, IA; Colorado Springs, CO; Denver, CO; Ogden, UT; Phoenix, AZ; Provo-Orem, UT; Salt Lake City, UT and Tucson, AZ, the region had the highest rate of diabetes and people reporting fair or poor health. Clark county residents had a higher rate of smoking compared to the US median. Residents were less likely to exercise and had higher rates of heavy alcohol consumption compared to other Mountain West communities. Residents reported the lowest utilization of mammography, colonoscopy, flu vaccinations (adults 65+) and pneumonia vaccinations (adults 65+) in the Mountain West.

The Black population had a higher mortality rate than other race/ethnicities in Clark County. In 2009, Clark County ranked 1st in Nevada for violent crime rates and second for property crime rates.

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